The Maroon men’s soccer team suffered a tough loss to No. 10 North Park University on Wednesday night. The first half was scoreless, and Chicago only attempted one shot on goal in those first 45 minutes. North Park, however, came in hot in the second period, making a goal just one minute into the second half. About 10 minutes later, a North Park player beat the Maroon defense to get a one-on-one matchup with fourth-year goalkeeper Hill Bonin, but Bonin made a great save to hold North Park to just one goal.

Bonin said of the game, “North Park is a good team. They got a lot of new players this year and have looked strong this season.” Despite the team struggling with injuries and illness, Bonin was still confident in their chances, saying, “We were stretched thin which made the game a tough one. We still feel really good looking ahead. The team feels strong and now we have 10 days to come together and refocus. We still have a conference title and the tournament to play for and we are hungrier than ever.”

Heading into the 77th minute, there was some drama as third-year midfielder Nicco Capotosto’s free kick into the box found third-year striker Max Lopez, who hit an incredible header just below the post. But North Park goalkeeper Mathias Stulen made an equally incredible save to deny the Maroons the tying goal. That was the only good look on goal that the Maroons had all game. Bonin made another save later in the game to again hold North Park to one goal, but the Maroon offense simply could not score. 

While this is a disappointing loss for the squad that was once the top-ranked team in the country, they are still ranked third in the country and are 13–2 overall. They have over a week-long break to refocus and train before taking on UAA opponent New York University at NYU next Friday.